1 Timothy 4:7–10

In the New Testament the English word does not carry the meaning it often carries today: a made-up incident told to teach some moral truth. Its sense is rather myths, false stories, which in one passage are called "profane and old wives' fables."

People may claim these things are only extra material added to the truth of Christianity. But if it is not Christianity, then it in no way supplements Christianity: it must be refused. "Profane" is simply secular, as distinct from what is sacred, and in fact in contrast to it. We must keep it distinct: it cannot add one single bit to the truth of God. Such fables may sound very flattering, as though they confirmed the truth. But this is one of Satan's most cunning methods. If he can persuade Christians to accept such things, the door is open to any untruth, and the truth itself is soon pushed out.

We have an all-sufficient revelation of God. The human mind speculates and pushes into things unseen, following the theories, imaginations and traditions of men. Such things only lead away from godliness. They lead from foolish questionings into what is profane. A believer has no business to investigate Spiritism or Theosophy, or to occupy his mind with things not made known in the Word of God. We must avoid these things and refuse to have anything to do with them. Otherwise we step onto the enemy's ground and lay ourselves open to his attacks.

Now paraitou is said of shunning old wives' fables (1 Tim. 4:7), younger widows, foolish and uninstructed questions, as well as a heretic in another passage. In no case does it mean excommunication — putting someone out of the church. It means simply avoiding things or persons alike.

Piety is confidence in the known and living God. That confidence leads the believer to walk in the holy fear of God in all the circumstances of life. It recognises and honours God, and is therefore the very opposite of sanctimoniousness that seeks to exalt self.

Here, as in 1 Corinthians 9, the picture of "exercise" seems to come from the public games and the training they needed, so familiar to the Greek mind. Timothy was to be in constant training… Piety is spiritual exercise. It demands the same constant watchfulness, the same holy self-restraint, the same complete subjection to the revealed will of God, that training for the games demanded: staying away from every relaxing habit, and daily practice with the goal in view.

Timothy was told to refuse these fables, which only feed the old sinful nature, and to exercise himself instead to godliness. The Christian needs daily spiritual exercise to be in a healthy state of soul. He must train his members to godliness. He should direct his eyes, ears, mind, tongue, heart, hands and feet in the way of godliness, and exercise them in it daily.

Our great "exercise" should be to walk in piety. We may put service first, but there is always the grave danger of being active in service while neglecting personal piety… Like the believers at Corinth, we may at times be very active in service and boast in our gifts. And like them we may be very unspiritual, because we do not exercise ourselves to piety.

Here, as in 1 Corinthians 9, the picture of "exercise" seems to come from the public games and the training they required. Greek readers knew those games well. Timothy was to be in constant training... Piety is spiritual exercise. It demands the same constant watchfulness, the same holy self-control, the same full submission to the revealed will of God, that training for the games demanded of an athlete. He had to give up every habit that softened him and to practise daily with the goal in view. How small that goal was! How much greater is this one!

This is an inward exercise that goes on in the heart, the mind and the conscience. It is not muscular exercise, the exercise of your legs and arms and lungs, which "is of some value." Training yourself for godliness is another kind of exercise. It affects the heart, the conscience and the mind.

The truth of godliness (or, by the better translation, "piety") has a very prominent place in this first letter to Timothy. The New Testament uses the word sixteen times, and nine of them come in this letter... Piety is confidence in the known and living God. That confidence leads the believer to walk in the holy fear of God in every circumstance of life. It recognises and honours God, and is therefore the very opposite of a false show of holiness that seeks to exalt self.

Bodily exercise, we grant, does profit for a little while. Its value is temporary, so it is not to be ignored. But godliness has both present and eternal value. It benefits this life beyond measure, and it has in it a character that reaps eternal results. How well worth cultivating!

There is always the danger of going to extremes in regard to our bodies, and some would give so much attention to the body that divine things are neglected. Things are to be kept in divine perspective... There is no danger of the body being wilfully neglected if we seek after true piety, nor will we give the body undue attention if the will and glory of God are before us.

For a believer, this earth is a land of promise, though it is not the main land promised. God has not promised him heaven and then left him to the wide world to provide for his own needs. He has not told His people to live by faith for their souls and to live by their wits for their bodies. No; He who has promised to give him "grace and glory," has also said, "No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11). God provides their food here, as well as their inheritance later.

Godliness has its present rewards in spiritual growth, spiritual joy, and in the knowledge that we are living for God's will and pleasure. And what divine exercise forms in us of Christ now will be seen in the display of the world to come.

We may put service first; but there is always a grave danger of being active in service while neglecting personal piety. The good servant will exercise himself to piety that he may be "useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work." We may, at times, like the Corinthian saints, be very active in service and boast in our gifts, and like them be very unspiritual through not exercising ourselves to piety.

In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, this word comes from the same root as "faith." It means being true to yourself, to your own nature, to any promise you give, and to any trust placed in you... The words of the gospel are faithful too: God keeps every promise attached to them (1 Tim. 1:15; 1 Tim. 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:11; Titus 3:8; Rev. 21:5).

In 1 Tim. 4:7-10 Paul sounds out the praises of godliness. It has promise of the life that now is as well as of that which is to come, and so it is profitable for all things. This is declared to be a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, as much as the saying that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."

Faithful is this word and worthy of all acceptation. Even the labour and struggle that come from hope in a living God grow out of faith in One who preserves all men, and above all those who believe.

I always feel inclined to interpret that in two ways. First, it is worthy of the most wholehearted and absolute acceptance — not a ninety-nine per cent acceptance, but a one hundred per cent acceptance. It is just as true in this sense too: it is worthy of everybody's acceptance.

The Apostle presses home the importance of this training in godliness by stating, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation." It was because of his godliness that the Apostle can say, "For this we labour and suffer reproach." We may be willing to work hard and stand out before men, working to win applause or to exalt self. But if godliness is behind our labour, it is bound to mean labour and reproach.

As I see it, this is not about Christ's work in saving the lost who believe. The apostle is speaking of the living God Himself — of God in His character as preserver of men, as Job also speaks (Job 7:20). God's providential care and government are before us, and nothing escapes His notice. So He clothes the plants of the field and feeds the birds of heaven, which do not sow or reap or gather into barns.

No Christian could forget for a moment the infinite privilege of eternal life and redemption, of heavenly hope and everlasting glory. But with these unseen and eternal things before him, he might overlook God's constant daily and special care in the ordinary matters of this life. That would be his own great loss, and it would dishonour the Lord. This verse (10), and the context before it, would guard the soul against such an error.

The apostle had been showing how little profit there is in bodily exercise. Godliness, by contrast, is valuable for all things. It carries the promise of the life that now is, and of the life to come. This he calls a faithful word, and worthy of all acceptance. The reason appears in our verse. The question here is of His preserving care, and not of salvation only. The apostle shows this to be most true of those who are most tried because of their faithfulness.

The apostle can say, "For this we labour and suffer reproach," because of his piety. We may be willing to work and be prominent before others. We may work to gain applause, or work to exalt ourselves. But if piety is behind our labour, it will inevitably mean labour and reproach.

In my view, this is not a question of Christ's work in saving lost people who believe. It is of the living God as such that the apostle speaks — of God in His character of preserver of men, as Job also speaks (Job 7:20). God's providential care and government are before us. Nothing escapes His notice. So He clothes the grass of the field and feeds the birds of heaven, which do not sow or reap. So He makes His sun rise on evil and good, and sends rain on just and unjust.

Most agree that the word "Saviour" in this passage refers to temporal salvation — that is, providential preservation. A glance at the context will prove this. Scripture uses the word this way elsewhere. 2 Kings 13:5 and Nehemiah 9:27 refer to the judges of Israel as saviours. In Acts 27:31, "Paul said to the centurion, Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved" — most evidently referring to temporal salvation.

The reference is not to Christ's work, but to God's faithful care of His creatures, His children especially, in providence day by day... Why read the salvation of men's souls into the terms of this verse? Other scriptures declare that only those who believe shall be saved, and that the mass, unrepentant and unbelieving, must perish. Apply it to the salvation of the soul, and the comfort disappears. Everything falls into confusion and uncertainty. Suppose those who are Christ's are only saved to a greater degree than those who reject Him and perish. Then theirs would be a small and sorry salvation... Indeed it would be nonsense to speak of saving the souls of all men, especially of the faithful.

All men are dependent upon His preserving care in the very details of their lives: if so, how much more should believers depend on Him fully; for whatever the reproach they may bear, they will be unfailingly preserved by God.

The apostle goes on to show that the spring of piety is confidence in God... Piety is that individual confidence in God that takes up every circumstance of life in relation to God. The unregenerate man leaves God out of his life; the believer recognises Him in all the details of life and thankfully receives and uses every mercy that He places within his reach.

No Christian could forget for a moment the infinite privilege of eternal life and redemption, of heavenly hope and everlasting glory. But faced with these unseen and eternal things, he might overlook the constant daily and special care of God in the ordinary matters of this life. That would be his own great loss, and it would dishonour the Lord. This verse, and the context before it, guards the soul against such an error. The highest privileges do not set aside or weaken this unchanging truth at its most everyday level.